Make tough mining decisions by watching grand opera, Don Carlo incarnate

Written by Jack Caldwell on November 30th, 2008

   
Don Carlo is the grandest of grand opera.  You are hit in the guts by the power of the music.  You are assailed by the story:  the horrors of theocracy and the glories of friendship and love.  You shudder at parental deceit and despair at the folly of youth.  You grow angry at the logic [...]

Weekend reading on uranium mining and groundwater

Written by Jack Caldwell on November 29th, 2008

The December issue of  Soutwest Hydrology deals with groundwater and uranium.  Here is how they introduce the subject:
Groundwater was involved in the formation of many large uranium ore deposits, and increasingly groundwater (fortified with other compounds) is being used to mine them using in-situ leaching methods. Uranium mining in the 20th century left a legacy [...]

The trouble with Teck

Written by The BarkerLetter on November 27th, 2008

Thursday, November 27 — I think Teck Cominco Ltd. is going to either get a lot bigger or a lot smaller in the coming months. This poses a dilemma for the investor. Namely, which will it be? The trouble with Teck is its debt …  some $9 billion and change … most of it short-term [...]

The Needys

Written by Michele Murray on November 26th, 2008

 
I took my uncle to dinner the other night. He moved to Denver with one of his brothers and a little dog from Butte, Montana 7 years ago after their mother died. We are Ojibwe on my father’s side of the family and my “Indian” relatives (as they refer to themselves) always stop me in [...]

Conspiracy

Written by Michele Murray on November 25th, 2008

My office space is being sabotaged by a conspiracy of people who pretend to be benign technicians. I think they want to drive me insane in order to usurp my business (I don’t know why yet but it might be because though work has been slowing down in this industry, I am chugging steadilly along). However, I [...]

Relfections on cuts in mining and elsewhere

Written by Jack Caldwell on November 24th, 2008

Has the world really changed that much in the last week, month, year?   On Saturday I supped with very old friends, people who like me survived the 1982/3 mining crash, a time when twenty percent of engineers in Vancouver were out of work and everyday brought new cuts in production.  Now it seems those times have [...]